


Kiba's JayTim Week 2020

by kibatashi



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Art, Based on The Fault in Our Stars, Cancer, Ficlet Collection, Jason Todd is Robin, JayTim Week, JayTim Week 2020, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tim Drake is Red Robin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibatashi/pseuds/kibatashi
Summary: Mostly just art with little ficlets accompanying each piece :)
Relationships: Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Day 1: Chef/Baker AU

**Author's Note:**

> So excited this is finally here! I've been a long-time lurker and I finally decided to start making art and fics and posting them. Enjoy!

Tim liked going to the privately-owned café just a block away from his college campus. It was a homely little shop that made the best coffee and baked goods. Of course, Tim had other reasons for going to the café that Bart and Kon often teased him for.

The café had a total of five workers. Dick—the barista—liked to joke around with Tim as he made his coffee to-go. There was a friendly red-headed waitress named Barbara that always took care of Tim’s table whenever he decided to sit for a bit. Cass was quiet but always smiled warmly at him as she rang up his order. He’d already known Stephanie from a few of his college classes, but seeing her boundless energy be put to use bussing tables made him smile.

And then there was Jason. The man didn’t interact much with customers, but the open floor plan allowed Tim to watch him as he worked. He was a hell of a baker—his pastries always looked like works of art and tasted just as delicious. Tim admired the crease of his brow as he concentrated on frosting cupcakes or the way he bit his lip distractedly as he stirred batter; and god, those _muscles_. Jason was undeniably handsome.

Tim didn’t get his hopes up, though. He’d be able to look at Jason all he wants, but never touch. He’d never even _talked_ to Jason before; hell, they’d only ever made eye contact _once_. He’s not naive enough to think that his one-sided pining would have a Hallmark movie ending.

That’s probably why it was such a surprise when rough, calloused hands placed a cupcake on the table instead of Barbara’s smooth, slender fingers. He blinked up at the intense teal eyes that stared back at him. “Oh, you’re not Babs,” is the first thing that comes out of his mouth. He cringes internally at how dumb he sounds even to his own ears.

Jason gave him a crooked grin that was equally cocky and playful. “Nah, she’s out sick today. Sorry to disappoint.” God, that _accent_. He was definitely a Gotham native, and the husky tone of his voice only made the accent that much more attractive.

Tim ducked his head down in embarrassment as he accepted the latte offered to him. “Sorry, I uh…didn’t mean it to sound that way.” His hair fell down around his face like a curtain and he prayed that it was enough to disguise the blush that was undoubtedly forming on his cheeks.

Jason had the audacity to laugh at him. “Aw, hell, you’re cute. Don’t worry ‘bout payin’ today, ‘s on me.” He sent Tim a wink before sauntering back off behind the counter.

As Tim slid the cupcake closer, he noticed a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the plate. He gently tugged it out. It was a misprinted receipt, the numbers blurred and smudged on the paper. Tim’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion until he noticed that the paper was raised slightly from writing on the other side. He flipped it over and his breath promptly caught in his throat.

It was a _phone number_ , signed with the name Jason Todd.

By the time Tim walked out of the café, he couldn’t stop grinning like a giddy high school girl with her first crush. Maybe he’d get that Hallmark romance after all.


	2. Day 2: The Fault In Our Stars Inspired AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late post because my internet's been down due to a series of bad thunderstorms. Whoops.

Today was one of the many bad days. Good days were hard to come across lately—days in which his lungs didn’t burn and his hands didn’t shake. Chemotherapy often left him feeling dazed, but when he was lucid he usually found himself depressed. He’d lay in bed for hours, staring up at his popcorn ceiling cursing whatever deity that decided to mess with his life. He couldn’t even enjoy the things he used to like doing. Computer screens gave him migraines, his handwriting was illegible, and worst of all, no more Red Robin.

Tim was startled out of his lament by a knock at his bedroom door. It creaked open before he could respond or even get up from the bed. Jason entered the room without a care in the world, completely disregarding the idea of privacy. “Get up. We’re going out.”

He and Jason hadn’t always gotten along. Jason had hated him with a passion for replacing him as Robin, and Tim resented how much Jason had changed from the inspiring boy he’d been before he died. They’d eventually managed to form a professional relationship as Red Hood and Red Robin, but they never interacted out of costume until Jason got sick.

Nobody had even known Jason had cancer; at least not until he was laid up in a hospital with one leg amputated below the knee.

Now, one full year later, Tim was the one suffering from a malicious form of thyroid cancer that had metastasized to his lungs.

The shared experience brought Jason and Tim closer. They understood each other’s struggles, and Jason gave Tim someone to lean on without showing him pity. Jason’s his light in the darkness. No matter how much Tim tries to distance himself from everyone, Jason drags him right back in.

Which is probably what he’s doing right now. Tim has been locking himself up in his room a lot for the past week. Social interaction was just too exhausting, especially with a family like his. He’d rather be alone than deal with the awkwardness from Bruce, Duke, and Damian or the constant fretting from Dick and Steph.

“Go where?” Tim questioned in a flat tone. Part of him hoped Jason would just leave him be, but he knew that wasn’t what he really wanted.

“Out.” Jason loomed over him, throwing the covers away. “Now get your sorry ass out of bed and get dressed.”

Tim did as told, albeit rather slowly as he had yet to figure out a way to get dressed without getting tangled in the cannula. He followed Jason to the garage and wordlessly got in the Mercedes that Bruce had modified to fit Jason’s needs. The silence between them extended as they pulled away from the Manor. They drove northwest—away from the city—taking winding backroads that looked like they hadn’t been repaved in forty years. The suburbs grew less dense the further out they went until all that was left were rolling hills and lush forest.

A little over an hour later, Jason pulled into an empty gravel parking lot. He shut the car off, pried himself out of the leather seat, and helped Tim take his heavy oxygen tank out of the car. The two of them walked up a small hill towards a single weathered bench. As they created the top, Tim couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. A clear lake lined with cattails stretched before them. Planted sporadically around the lake were weeping willow trees, their drooping branches sending ripples out across the water’s surface. Swans and mallards glided around the lake with fuzzy little chicks trailing behind them. As they grew closer to the water’s edge, Tim could see sunfish chasing each other in circles underneath the surface.

Tim just stood there for a while, Jason quiet at his side as they soaked it all in. They listened to the chirping of songbirds overhead, the bellow of a bullfrog somewhere to the right of them, the rustle of the cattails in the wind, the quacking of the ducks and the soft lull of the water against the bank. This place was so beautiful, and Jason had chosen to share it with him.

Tim swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. He slipped his hand into Jason’s and squeezed tight. “Thank you.” He whispered.

Jason pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. He rested his chin against the crown of Tim’s head. “Always.” He whispered back.

Things wouldn’t always be okay, but at least there were moments like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for a better view of the art!  
> @kibatashi


	3. Day 3: Robin Reversal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yet again, my internet's been down for a full day so I'm just now posting this. Also, I decided to forgo doing Day 4, the free day, to give my hand a break from all the drawing.

Tim _hated_ the new Robin.

He really had tried his best to give Jason the benefit of the doubt. He still held some resentment over being replaced only two months after he’d been fired, but the anger was directed more at Bruce than Jason. Now that he’s back on speaking terms with Bruce, he finally got the chance to meet the brat in person.

He wasn’t impressed. The boy was crude and rough and all too cocky. Robin was supposed to be the light to Batman’s darkness, but Jason had sharp edges and moral grayness. He was everything Robin wasn’t supposed to be.

“So you’re the new Robin.” Tim quirked an eyebrow as he stared down at the slightly shorter male. Another thing he hated about this kid was that he’d grow up to be bigger than Tim. Just three years younger and still only halfway through puberty, Jason was only a few inches shorter than him, had broader shoulders, and was more muscular than Tim had been at that age. He suspected that Jason would most likely be almost as large as Bruce.

“So you’re the _ex_ -Robin.” Jason sniped back. He propped a hand up on his hip and puffed his chest out.

Okay, Tim _really_ hated this kid. “I think it’s pronounced the _better_ Robin.” Tim quipped back.

Jason barked out a sharp laugh. “Hah, as if! From where I’m standing, you’re just the _failed_ Robin.”

_Son of a-_

Wait a second.

Jason hides it well, but not well enough that he can hide it from a Bat. His body language is betraying him. There’s no real heat behind his words. He’s nervous, Tim realized, and trying his best not to show it. He’s trying to cover it up with this tough guy act, but he’s not fooling Tim. “You wanna try that again?”

“‘Scuse me?”

Tim just leveled him with a flat look that he’d learned from Alfred. Jason seemed to shrink away from him before dropping the act entirely, and damn was it a sharp contrast from the cocky kid he’d been just a second ago. Jason ducked his head down to stare at his feet, his fingers fidgeting with his utility belt and his mouth sucking his bottom lip in. “Sorry, ‘s just…you’re my idol. You’re _the_ Robin, ‘n I’m just some crummy street rat that took your place.”

Tim studied him for a moment. He can see a lot of himself in Jason. When he first came to the manor, he’d been largely intimidated by Damian. He felt as if he could never match up to the blood son. He’d been so insecure and unsure of his place. Even Duke, who showed him nothing but kindness, made him feel like he was out of place just by how accomplished he was as Signal.

Jason undoubtedly had these same fears. Being Robin came with a lot of expectations to live up to and all that pressure could be daunting. Tim better do something about that then. He’d rather not see his—what was it Jason had called himself?— _replacement_ be killed trying to prove himself. “If there’s one thing that being Robin taught me, it’s that everyone deserves a chance.”

Jason‘s eyes sparkled with wonder and awe. The hero-worship was actually kind of cute. It made Tim feel warm all over, pride swelling in his chest at the thought of this kid being so inspired by him. He twirled his bo staff just to show off a bit and turned on his heel. “Now come on, Robin 3.0. Let’s hit the mats so you can show me what you got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for a better view of the art!  
> @kibatashi

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @kibatashi to get a better view of the art!


End file.
